it's all about the journey…not the destination!

Do The Homework

That was the mantra I repeated to myself as I hit the pavement this morning. It was POWERFUL! Listen up!

First let me tell you, it was 67 degrees and P.E.R.F.E.C.T. this morning! It was early, and dark, but pffft, who cares about that. I glow in the dark anyway (lmao — more on that another time!) But today was Good Karma! Mother Nature was on my side today, and gave me a gorgeous morning within which to succeed. And, So I Did! BRAVO!

No iPod today. I needed my Best Internal Coach with me. From the first step, I knew I was going to have to talk myself through this one. I was prepared to do it. I was prepared to Fight to be a Winner. This was hard. And it’s different than heading out with good intentions. Even the best intentions can end suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk. There you are, running along, and before you know it..you get tired…and you stop….and you walk. THAT has happened to me a dozen times. But? What? The? Hell? I had the best of intentions. Yea, yea…..that’s all nice and all. But not enough. Sorry. It’s tough love time. When you head out the door — you have to go with a Hell Yes attitude! Am I going to do this? Hell Yes! Am I going to finish? Hell Yes! Am I going to succeed? Hell Yes! THAT’s the Hell Yes attitude. Don’t leave yourself any other option. None. One outcome. No other. Hell Yes!

It doesn’t come natural for me. I thought good intentions would be enough. But what I learned out there on the pavement many many times…is that good intentions get tested . Tested by your tired legs, and your tired lungs, and your tired mind. And if you aren’t dressed up in your Hell Yes attitude…..well, then the best intentions lose. Every single time. It sucks. But there it is.

I ran slowly. Consciously slowing myself down. Not looking at the watch…..much (ok, truth). But I didn’t think about pace, I didn’t focus on it. Suuure, I was curious about my pace, but not striving to accomplish anything in particular. The beginning was fine. Mile 1 ends right as “the Hill” begins. Ok, remember? this is “the hill that is not a hill. ” But it’s funny, and ironic, how much bigger a hill looks and feels when your attitude is low, and your mind is weak. I started mile 2 with eyes down on the ground, and feet moving slowly forward. Don’t Look At It! Don’t Look At It! Just keep moving forward. That mantra carried me up the hill, that ..is..not..a….ok you get it. I rewarded myself with some Vitacoco when I got to the top, sipping happily as my mind sang my Winning Song….”That was the hardest part, the hardest part is over. That was the hardest part. The hardest part is over.” LOL. I know. Crazy right? All these thoughts flying around my head. All these mental tricks just to do two miles??? Well, you’d be surprised how much negative talk is going on in your head without your recognizing it. Your mind just wants to stop. Right now. Stop and go home. And you have to combat it. Fight it. Beat it back. Grind it down. That’s part of the Hell Yes attitude too!

From there I was good, until the last 1/2 mile. That last stretch, whew, Girl! I had to talk myself out of stopping no less than 4 times. When I hit the bottom of the hill (gotta love downhill!), I had to start working again. I wanted to stop. I wanted to be done with this Enough already! HELL NO! So I told myself...just get to the lamp-post Diane. When I reached it, I said….ok, not juuust get to the next lamp-post. After that one, I said, ….don’t stop, come on, just make it around the corner. Just go that far. Oh for god sake. Why was it so hard? I don’t know, BUT IT JUST WAS. Once I rounded the corner…there it was. The red fire hydrant halfway down the street. The fire-red marker that for me is my 2 mile finish line. See it Diane? There it is. Don’t quit now. No quitting at the end. That mental coach talked me in like an air traffic controller landing a plane without instruments. I don’t think I coulda done it if Lady Gaga was singing in my ears. Sorry Gaga, love you but……I needed ME today.

Past the fire hydrant, I walked my cool down, sipping the rest of my Vitacoco. I was tired in body…..but WIRED in spirit. Wow. Just one day of SUCCESS and I felt over the moon. Marathon Brian was right. (again). When you finish a work out and you miss your goal…..you walk the rest of your day with a monkey on your back. You’re low. Unhappy with yourself. I think, for me, it’s because I know (deep down inside) that I didn’t try my best. Sure….I had good intentions…… but I didn’t go out there with my Hell Yes attitude on. Oh but when you do….when you finish a workout, and you KNOW, down to the last drop of sweat in your sneakers, that you gave it your all…….well then…..2 miles or 20 miles…..it doesn’t matter. You F>L>Y! for the rest of the day.

Oh TEACHER, TEACHER….My Homework is DONE!! and thank you, for pushing me to do my best! It’s still in there. HELL YES it is!!

About Diane

Ciao! My name is Diane. I'm a wife, a mom, a working professional, and a Weight Watcher from New Jersey. I started blogging in 2011, at 45 years old, when I was training for my first Half Marathon at Rutgers on April 22, 2012. Since then, I've lost 80 pounds, completed my Half Marathon goal and gone on to train for and run my very first Full Marathon. On Jan 13, 2013, I ran the Disney Marathon in Orlando, Fl! What an incredible day. As the saying goes -- "The person who starts the race is not the same person who finishes the race." I am forever changed! So now we move on to the next phase of this journey! Come along. We're in this together!! Ciao for now!